It’s almost that dreaded time of year for parents….Daylight Savings! You know spring is officially here when moods are crazy, schedules are off, and kids are not going to bed or waking up on time! Ahh, the sweet taste of daylight savings.
Before I had my son, Daylight Savings was just another ordinary day in the Spring that had little to no effect on me. Fast Forward 3 years into motherhood and I find myself prepping for this day about 2, sometimes 3 weeks in advance. If you’re a mom like me and your “me time” is a precious gift that you NEED to stay happy and healthy, then check out how I prep my toddler for Daylight Savings and keep our routines in check.
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Two weeks prior to the time change, I start putting J to bed 10 minutes earlier than his normal bedtime, which is 8 p.m. I keep that bedtime for 3 days and on the fourth, fifth, and sixth day, I put him to bed 20 minutes earlier. Over the next 14 days, I continue to put J to bed a little bit earlier than normal so that by day 14 he’s going to bed a full hour earlier than he normally does.
The concept is to try and help your child adjust to an earlier bedtime so that when the rest of the world springs forward 1 hour, they will be on schedule to go to sleep at their “normal time”.
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How to Prepare Your Kids for Daylight Savings
14 Day Sleep Schedule Adjustment for Daylight Savings: 8:00 pm bedtime
- Day 1- 7:50 bedtime
- Day 2- 7:50 bedtime
- Day 3- 7:50 bedtime
- Day 4- 7:40 bedtime
- Day 5- 7:40 bedtime
- Day 6- 7:40 bedtime
- Day 7- 7:30 bedtime
- Day 8- 7:30 bedtime
- Day 9- 7:30 bedtime
- Day 10- 7:20 bedtime
- Day 11- 7:20 bedtime
- Day 12- 7:10 bedtime
- Day 13- 7:10 bedtime
- Day 14- 7:00 bedtime
If you don’t have time to start adjusting sleep times 2 weeks in advance or you forget (like I’ve done), try 1 week in advance.
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7 Day Sleep Schedule Adjustment for Daylight Savings: 8:00 pm bedtime
- Day 1- 7:50 bedtime
- Day 2- 7:40 bedtime
- Day 3- 7:30 bedtime
- Day 4- 7:20 bedtime
- Day 5- 7:10 bedtime
- Day 6- 7:00 bedtime
- Day 7- 7:00 bedtime
Don’t forget to follow the same routine for naps and hopefully in no time at all you will be right on schedule with your normal routine.
Good luck!
Related: How to Teach a Toddler the Alphabet
How do you deal with Daylight Savings and putting your kids to bed on time? Share in the comments below.
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Hi! I’m Meagan and I’m a 41 year old mom of a high energy almost 9 year old, happily navigating my way through the little boy years. I’ve been married for 14 years. I met my husband over 20 years ago in high school; we got married 10 years later after graduating from the University of South Florida. I currently help run a family business with my parents while blogging about my life and love of DIY projects!
When I’m not at a kids sports game, I enjoy spending time with my family on a beach anywhere. I also love decorating and organizing, fun DIY projects, bargain shopping, and eating out or in! I also love Barbecue anything and a good show or movie on Netflix.
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